This French Spy Lived As Both A Man And A Woman In The 1700s
On October 5, 1728, Charles d’Eon de Beaumont was born and would later become known as the Chevalier d’Eon. Throughout their life, the Chevalier took on many roles, including a French soldier, a diplomat, a spy in the French king’s service, a writer, and a woman, according to a declaration by the French government.
However, their multiple military accomplishments were left in the shadows as controversy about their gender circulated. So, how did this French diplomat come to live as both a man and a woman?
D’Eon was born biologically male to a noble family in Tonnerre, Burgundy. In 1749, d’Eon graduated from Collège Mazarin with a law degree at the age of 21. Afterward, their political writings made them popular in the literary world.
In 1756, d’Eon was recruited for the King’s Secret, a group of spies working for King Louis XV. D’Eon was sent to Russia as Secretary of the Embassy in St. Petersburg. But, their real task would be to find out information in the court of Empress Elizabeth in order to get a Frenchman onto the Polish throne.
The Seven Years’ War began in September of 1756 when Frederick the Great of Prussia launched an attack on Saxony. During the war, d’Eon served as a Dragoon captain for France and became known as a brave soldier.
In 1762, the king sent a diplomatic team, including d’Eon, to London to negotiate a peace treaty. On February 10, 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed. D’Eon was rewarded with the honor of the Order of Saint-Louis and earned the title of chevalier, or “knight.”
The Chevalier d’Eon was then named interim ambassador in London and was in charge of affairs there. D’Eon was also assigned to a secret mission that involved scouting out spots for a sea invasion of England. They hosted extravagant parties to get closer to the British nobility, accumulating some hefty bills in the process.
Eventually, d’Eon was demoted to secretary and was instructed to leave London. However, d’Eon refused to budge. When the king caught wind of this, he cut off d’Eon’s access to their funds.
The Chevalier retaliated by blackmailing the king and publishing private diplomatic correspondence. The king was stuck in a tough spot since d’Eon was so popular and powerful. For over a decade, the negotiations between them continued until the king’s death in 1774.
Spiroview Inc. – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Meanwhile, the public was speculating over the Chevalier’s gender, believing that they were a woman.
Instead of denying the rumors, the Chevalier added fuel to the scandal. The new king, Louis XVI, was left to clean up the mess.
He agreed to let d’Eon go back to France and offered a yearly sum of money if they handed over the private documents.
D’Eon must also dress as a woman for the remainder of their life to be legally pronounced as female.
The agreement was signed in 1775, and the king had his wife’s dressmaker create a whole new wardrobe for d’Eon.
D’Eon rose even further to fame and made up stories to explain their gender behavior. D’Eon claimed that they had been born female but were forced to keep their gender hidden in order to inherit their father’s estate. Then, d’Eon continued to dress as a man to serve France as a soldier and diplomat.
After Louis XVI was executed, d’Eon was left with no money or home. For the last three decades of their life, they still chose to dress as a woman and earned a living by fencing in women’s clothing. In 1810, d’Eon died.
Their body was discovered by their roommate of 14 years. It was then that d’Eon was found to be biologically male.
D’Eon paved the way for equal opportunities to be given to women by setting themselves up as a model for strong, independent women.
D’Eon’s story and accomplishments were used as proof that women can do anything that men do. D’Eon was also just a person exploring their gender identity and is considered a notable figure in the transgender community today.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News
